Display container



Sept. 29, 1970 w. A. LEWANDOWSK] 3530;978

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed Feb. 26, 1969 nvvewroe ALTER ALEWA/VDOWS/(l United States Patent 3,530,978 DISPLAY CONTAINER Walter A. Lewandowski, Hatboro, Pa., assignor to J. L. Popowich & Son, Philadelphia, Pa., a partnership Filed Feb. 26, 1969, Ser. No. 802,587 Int. Cl. B6511 43/12 US. Cl. 206-4534 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A display container for elongated articles such as watch bands, 'bracelets and the like is assembled from three sections. These include a lower housing, a transparent upper housing and a removable end cap. The upper housing is, in effect, an open backed container for the item to be displayed and it mounts on the lower housing which serves as its back. The end cap completes the assembly and prevents displacement of the upper housing with respect to the lower housing. Mounting of the upper housing on the lower housing is accomplished by providing one of the members with a retention slot and the other member with a shouldered portion which is slideably retained in the slot. The end cap also contains a retention slot so that it can slideably mount on the assentbled housings. It is preferable to provide the end cap and lower housing with cooperating resilient detent means for fixing one with respect to the other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates to special receptacles and packages. More particularly, it relates to display receptacles which have a three dimensional transparent portion through which the goods can be viewed at all times.

Prior art There has been a recognized need for rigid display packages for watch bands or other elongated jewelry items which permit examination of the contents without opening of the package. Further, the need has existed for types of packages which are inexpensive and yet rugged in construction, aesthetically pleasing and yet simple enough in contour to be readily molded of plastic.

A prior art package which attempts to solve the problem is shown and described in US. Pat. No. 3,217,867. However, closure of that package involves use of an elongated strip of resilient material such as cardboard and the package is dependent, for what rigidity it has, upon an open rectangular frame.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly summarized, the display container of the invention comprises three main parts: (1) a lower housing, A; (2) a hollow transparent upper housing, B; and (3) a removable end cap, C. The lower housing is a flat, generally rectangular, rigid, solid base and includes a perimetrical first retention slot which frames one end and most of two adjoining sides. The upper housing is trans parent and is, in effect, an open backed container for the item to be displayed. The upper housing includes a perimetrical shouldered base, which fits within the retention slot, so that the upper housing can be slideably thereby mounted on the lower housing. In its mounted position, the lower housing serves as a rigid 'back for the container and closes the open portion of the upper housing. An end cap, containing a second retention slot deep enough to receive both the end of the lower housing and the portion of the shouldered base of the upper housing not in the first retention slot, slideably mounts on the assembly of upper and lower housing. The end cap thus completes the ice framing of the upper housing and also fixes the longitudinal position of the upper housing with respect to the lower housing. It is preferred that the end cap and lower housing portion be provided with detent means so as to prevent inadvertent removal of the end cap. It is also possible to insert a strip of material, held within the retaining slots, at the time of assembly which can bear printed indicia such as advertising, price, instructions for use or the like.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a rigid, transparent display container which is economical to fabricate, attractive in appearance and which can be easily assembled and disassembled.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a display container which completely encapsulates the article to be displayed and which is adapted to be hung vertically from a display rack.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a display container wherein a transparent portion through which the item in the container is visible is completely frame by a rigid housing portion.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description which follows when read in conjunction with the drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing, wherein like numerals designate like parts:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of an assembled container of the invention.

FIG. 2 represents a fragmentary exploded perspective view illustrating the mounting of the end cap on the assembly of lower and upper housing portions.

FIG. 3 represents a rear view of the assembled container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 represents a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Lower housing A is generally flat and rectangular. It is made of heavy, relatively rigid material and plastics such as high impact polystyrene are preferred. The base includes a body portion 10 and a tongue portion 11. The edges of body portion 10 are provided with inwardly turned integral flanges such as side flanges 12 and 14 and end flange 1.3 which will form three sides of a frame about upper housing portion B. The flanges define a first retention slot 15 between their termini and body portion 10. The depth of the slot may be determined solely by the thickness of the flanges, or the flanges may be provided with a plurality of integral spacer lugs 16 to effectively reduce the depth of slot 15 just as if the flange were made of thicker material. Tongue portion 11 has no such flanges but is provided with a cut-out male projection 17 which extends outwardly (i.e., down in FIG. 4). This projection has enough resilience, despite the rela- 'tive rigidity of housing A, to serve as a releasable detent. Tongue 11 is also provided with a semicircular aperture 18 in its terminal edge.

Transparent hollow upper housing portion B, as can be best observed in FIG. 5, is generally U-shaped in cross-section and is inverted when mounted on base A. The housing includes a perimetrical shoulder portion 20 and a raised intermediate parallelepipedal portion 21 which is framed by shoulder 20 on all four sides. As best seen in FIG. 2, housing B is mounted on base A by merely sliding shoulder 20' into slot 15 until it is in juxtaposition with flanges 12, 13 and 14. If desired, a thin piece of material 22, such as paper or cardboard, containing advertising or instruction indicia may be inserted at 3 that time, this piece being coextensive with the outside dimensions of shoulder 20.

End cap C includes a base 25, having a generally rectangular aperture 26 therein which is adapted to receive projection 17. The base is provided with a flange 27 on three sides thereof which is deeper than flanges 12, 13 and 14 and which defines a second retention slot deep enough to receive the combined thicknesses of shoulder 20, display piece 22 and tongue portion 11 of base A. The ends of flanges 27 may be cut-out as at 28 to receive mating cut-out portions of flanges 12 and 14 so as to achieve a rigid interlocking. End cap C is also pro vided with a hole 29' and enables the container to be hung on a display rack.

The container is simple to use. The item to be displayed is placed in housing B, which may be inverted at the time, and the housing-with piece 22, if utilizedis slid into the first retention slot as far as it will go (i.e., to the position shown in FIG. 2). Then end cap C is slid onto the assembly so that tongue 11 and shoulder (and the edges of piece 22, if present) enter the second retention slot defined by its flanges. At the limit of travel, projection 17 (which has been depressed during the monting) releases into aperture 26 to releasably detent the cap on the base. At that time too, hole 29 is in registration with aperture 18. Added features, like a scale 19 on flange 13 may be utilized depending on the item being dispayed. Here the scale may be used to measure the distance between lugs on a wrist watch and thus size watch bands. Portion 21 may be contoured tofit the contour of the item being packaged. The container may be opened and reclosed easily and without damage to itself or its contents.

The invention may be variously embodied and, while one embodiment has been described in detail, this is merely illustrative. Other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. A display container for an elongated article comprising:

(a) a lower housing having a flat, generally rectangular solid base whichincludes a body portion and an extended tongue portion contiguous with said body portion and further including inwardly turned integral perimetrical flanges on all sides of the body portion, except the side adjacent the tongue portion, which define a first retention slot and frame three sides of said base;

(b) a hollow transparent upper housing portion having a generally U-shaped cross section and which is of substantially the same dimensions as the entirety of said rectangular solid base, said housing including a perimetrical outwardly extending shoulder which is slideably received within said first retention slot;

(0) a removable end cap which includes a base and inwardly turned perimetrical flanges on three sides which define a second retention slot having a depth greater than that of said first slot so that it receives both the tongue porion of said lower housing and that portion of said upper housing shoulder not contained within said first retention slot, whereby the flanges of said lower housing and the flanges of said end cap are in juxtaposition and, together, completely frame said upper housing portion and said tongue portion overlies the base of said end cap and is confined within it,

said container, when assembled, defining a visible storage space of which said upper housing is the top, said solid base is the rear wall and said flanges provide a continuous perimetrical frame and means for keeping. said upper housing in contact with said base.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein said tongue portion and said end cap base each contain one element of a two element detent comprising a resilient extending male portion and a mating female portion which are wedged into a snap-fit as said end cap is mounted on the tongue portion of said lower housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,285,994 6/1942 McBride 220-41 2,309,111 1/1943 Hothersall 2204l 3,217,867 11/1965 Harris 206-45.34

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner I U.S. Cl. X.R. 

